Words!

Cell phones, text, e-mail, blog, twitter, facebook and all the others to "communicate" with each other. It has me thinking this morning. In the last two years so many words spoken or written have injured so many lives...yet what about the words that have healed?, encouraged?, lifted up?, challenged?, forgiven?, loved???? My dad would not be a person considered as a man of many words, however, he is a man with carefully selected words filled with honesty, sincerety, humor, love and wisdom. When dad prays he makes you feel as if he and God are best friends...and I believe they are. Dad, I have seen you over the years handle, stress, hurt, joy, death, grandchildren, church issues, and marriage and I have never known you to utter an unkind word. When asked, you give honest advice laced with years of experience and wisdom. You are an excellent example of a Godly man. Thank you. May our words not be many but carefully selected for the building up of others and honoring God.

Death to Self

Faith, being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Read it and re-read that first sentence. What do I hope for? Good health? safety for my kids? financial security? promotion at work? Its what the ancients were commended for. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Rahab and all the others that there was not enough time to tell about. When they died they were still living by faith, sure of what they hoped for and certain of what they did not see. How do I live like that without dieing to self of which I do not understand? How do I only hope for God? Just thinking!

Death to self and bear fruit!?

Our SS class has been discussing Matt. 7 and our conversation this past Sunday was about the narrow gate that few enter vs. the wide road that leads to destruction. We discussed dying to self, bearing fruit etc... I have been struggling with this conversation for several days now so I will explain. My dilemma: Is dying to myself a taught characteristic...something that I need to be taught and learn? Or is it a natural result of my learning who God is and my relationship growing with Him and my realization of who I am without Him? My second dilemma: Is the bearing fruit that is being talked about in Matt. 7 referring to making new believers or is it talking about the fruit of the spirit? From my short amount of time studying this it seems to me that the good tree bearing fruit is referring to the fruit of the spirit. Peace, Love, Joy, Self control.....Is that the fruit I should be leaving behind? Am I that kind of tree? I've been studying Heb. 11 and it seems that to produce that kind of fruit will require great sacrifice. Tami and I continue to consider what this means for us?!? Are we understanding God's word accurately? We are challenged by this and are seeking where we go from here.....the roller coaster has left the building!!

Not what I thought!

Tami tells me the other day that she had ordered the book Crazy Love. My reaction with a smirk on my face was, "Sweet, who's getting the kids this weekend?!!" Well, obviously it was not that type of book. She blew through the book in one setting and I have just finished it this morning. If you are tired of the status quo, needing some motivation to get off your can and live life as God intended, or you need to get a better understanding of your role as a believer then I recommend you read this book. It's radical yet sincere that we have to make a choice, Love God and others or don't! Either way, tell God your decision. To live a life of mediocrity (really don't know how to spell that word) is unacceptable. How different my life will look like living life this way. Scares me to death! Not sure what God is asking from me today specifically but I will be keeping my eyes, ears and heart open to what that is. Hang on Tami!! Going to be an interesting journey!